Roll Call to help supervisors keep Airmen in the know

By Staff Sgt. C. Todd Lopez

WASHINGTON (Dec. 18, 2006) -- A new weekly publication titled "Roll Call" is designed to help shop- and office-level supervisors explain complex, yet important Air Force issues to their Airmen during daily or weekly meetings.

Roll Call is a one-page print product, posted online every Friday. It covers one or two topics, in full sentences, and is written so supervisors can read it to their Airmen during morning roll calls or weekly gatherings.

"Our Air Force is going through tremendous changes now, all while we continue to fight the war on terror," said Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Rodney J. McKinley. "Making sure our Airmen understand why these changes are happening and what it will mean to them on a unit and an individual level is vital. The added advantage of Roll Call is getting work sections to take a few minutes out of their fast-paced operations tempo and actually look each other in the eye while they discuss issues facing our force."

Roll Call will fill information voids by tackling complex, Air Force-level issues such as "transformation," "recapitalization," "force shaping," and "Smart Operations 21," and explaining them in common, everyday language.

"This new weekly Air Force 'Roll Call' product provides supervisors with information and straight answers," said Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. T. Michael Moseley. "To be most effective, we need every commander and supervisor to print it out and discuss it with your Airmen."

While there are currently many avenues for information to get from Headquarters Air Force in Washington to the field, feedback suggests that much of that information is either not reaching junior Airmen and officers, or it is not translating in ways that make the information meaningful to them.

"The goals of Roll Call are three fold: to keep our Airmen informed on current issues, clear up confusion and dispel rumors, and provide additional face-to-face communication between supervisors and their teams," General Moseley said.